


In Her Parasthegic Hands

by Profilerchic



Category: Body of Proof
Genre: F/M, Fluff, and a bit of angst, why did they have to kill off peter?!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-19
Updated: 2012-10-19
Packaged: 2017-11-16 15:12:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/540819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Profilerchic/pseuds/Profilerchic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All it took was a question from Lacey, her daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Question

Soft lights. Soft music. The ambiance was, truly, calming and in spite of the sting of what this occasion meant, she could not help but appreciate the taste in décor and music, her boss held. However, all she really wanted to do was be mad, given it had only been six months before that she found out about this secret affair. But here she was, surrounded by her misfit family of co-workers, Lacey, and her mother-who never misses out on a party-at the country club where Todd and Kate were announcing their engagement. Along with plenty of others, she really had no interest in, random diplomats and important people.

Really, it was a nice area. Megan, again, looked around. A small wood floor ballroom, lavishly decorated with crisp white sheets on each of the scattered round tables. A deejay was stationed next to the bar on the opposite wall from where Megan sat, closest to two double doors that lead to the outdoor patio.

Even then, the décor could only hold so much worth. The idea that her husband, who claimed she never made enough time for her family, was marrying another women with almost the same number of hours in her work schedule was incomprehensible… and plain betrayal. That was why she was angry. That was why she was simmering. Peter had it wrong, she did not have feelings for Todd anymore. Five years was enough to get over a divorce. But like she told Lacey, she was giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Peter…he hadn't arrived yet. She wondered why that bothered her so much. Somehow over the last seven months he had wormed his way past her defenses and excuses. Defenses against gaining friends-because where were they after her accident? Excuses of her mother and her anti-social behavior. He even had the audacity of saying she  _runs away_  to her bodies. She understood that he, unlike the rest of the group must have a life outside of the MD's office but she couldn't help but feel like her one friend was abandoning her to this… trial.

Absently, she rubs her hands, feeling nothing as her parasthesia acts up.

"They really are having a good time, aren't they?

"Are they?" Megan looked to her right, brought out of her musings by her lovely daughter.

"I think they are. They're laughing and dancing together. Sometimes, when we're having dinner together, I see Dad looking at Kate and I remember that was how you and Dad used to look at each other. I'm glad Dad's happy..." She watched on as the couple in question leaned toward each other in their own private musings. Ignorant of the other couples dancing around them, of the group gathered to celebrate with them. Currently, Curtis, Bud and Ethan were engaged in some sort of game, poker by the stoic looks on their faces. Moreover, she had once seen Sam and Bud dance. Blackmail for later. Sam was at the bar getting fresh drinks for the boys. Personally, they might all be a bit tipsy.

"I'm glad he is too." And it was true. No matter how much she resented the situation for what it meant.

"…Are you happy?"

"What?" She turned, full body to Lacey. Eyes wide. "Of course I am. My job is going great. I, dare I say it, have friends and I have you. What more could I want?"

"…him?"

Startled, she could only turn to where her daughter was pointing.


	2. The Interrogation

He walks into a dimly lit room. His black suit was late being pressed. Sometimes, even a large city like Philly could be backed up. He knew he was late for the announcement, not that he did not know already, but by the looks of things, the party was still going on.

Walking through the double doors, Peter was confronted by a group of people. Directly ahead of him was the dance floor, the deejay playing a slow one as couples circled the floor. Hugging close, and swaying. Caught sight of Kate and Todd. A smile tugs on his lips as he thinks that he might just pull Megan's stubborn self onto the floor if he gets a chance. She needs to live more. Especially tonight. No matter how much she would protest against having that little bit of fun he was going to try to make it an enjoyable evening…even if he was late. He had told her once that she wouldn't find the decent person she was without him, and she wouldn't. He was going to keep that unconventional promise.

 _Speaking of which,_ He glances to his right, the bar, and he catches a glimpse of Bud, Sam, Curtis and Ethan all sitting around a table and playing poker. The good-natured arguments and conspiring glances on their stoic faces were a give away. "Eagle-eye" Ethan saw him first if the wave and head nod was any indication. Deciding to stop by the bar for a quick drink on the way, he ambled his way over.

"So, who's winning?" An eruption of "me," "No, you are not. I am" s, and "prove it" s were called out. Chuckling, he glanced around the room, yet again.

"She stepped out a little while ago." Turning he faced Sam, who had a small grin on her face.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't give me that innocent look." She narrowed her eyes on him, much like how she would on a suspect.  _When did this turn into an interrogation?_ "I know who you were looking for."

Shaking his head, he turns back to the game. "Sam, I really have no idea…"

"Dr. Hunt went on the patio." Curtis says without looking up from his cards. Now, he notices everyone's glances as they continue to play. Blinks against the sudden onslaught of nervous energy. Hadn't felt like this since high school when his one friend had asked if he liked a girl in their biology class. _Was this...?_

"I barely enter the room and I'm already getting ambushed. Maybe I was looking for you all." Nonchalantly, takes a big swig of his beer. Thinks he might need something stronger if this continues.

"Maybe… but you weren't. You only ever look for Megan." Almost chokes as Ethan puts in his two cents.

Incredulous, "I do not."

Bud this time. "Don't lie to a bunch of cops, man. You may have _been_  a cop, but we  _are_ the cops." Now, he does choke.

"What the hell does that mean?" Eyes wide, he stares at his so-called friends.

"Nothing, just looking out for you."

"And that means kicking your ass into gear every now and then," Sam puts in. "She listens to you, ya know?" Parting words.

"I'm getting another drink, anyone want anything?" Denials were spoken and he turns away from the interrogation. Walks back to the bar and ordered that stronger drink.  _Well, damn._  It's been a while since he'd been in this position. Just because he'd never married doesn't mean he hasn't been in any relationships… not that what he had with Megan was a relationship by any means…

Megan. That woman could irk anyone. And it wasn't just her harsh, calculated nature, it was the aloofness: the independent, my way or the highway, I'm trying to atone for my actions, self-deprecating personality that really got under his skin. Downing his shot, he turned to look towards the patio doors, noticing, for the first time, Lacey sitting quietly at the table closest to the doors. With a smile on her face and a hand up in a mini-wave, she beckoned him over.


	3. The Internalization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ignoring the sciency stuff for a reason. I don't know any, I don't presume to know, and I don't like making up things in regards to pure science. Enjoy.

The air was beginning to turn as summer gave way to fall. She hugs her shall closer around the open back of her red formal dress as she tires to prevent the precious heat from escaping. A different sort of chill goes down her spine and she frowns. Too bad she wasn't at her lab right now. The team had finished their most recent case fairly quickly and as the Saturday evening drew to a close, no calls had, yet, been made. However morbid it was of her, she was kind of hoping a body would drop. Anything would be a welcome distraction from her thoughts at the moment.

Lacey would be forever grounded for even making the assumption that she and…No. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes against the thought. Glaring out to the backyard, willing them away. Unbidden, the conversation flowed back into her mind.

"Peter?" _  
_

" _Yeah, mom. Why not?"_

" _Why not? Why not…? Lacey, he's a colleague… a…a friend at best. He's annoying and, albeit, brilliant but only when it comes to his job. He gets into everyone's business. He doesn't know when to stop meddling in mine. He-"  
_

_Lacey just stared at her mother. "You mean, like you?"_

" _What?" Mouth agape and voice cracks. Both signs she's completely shocked._

_Lacey sighed at her mother. Who was the teenager here? "Mom, he meddles because he cares for you. I knew it the day he helped me with my video when you told me to go home. I knew it when he drove us back from that slumber party. Mom, he got us treats. And they were awesome, but still, what kind of guy do you know does that for a 'co-worker's daughter,' unless there was something else going on?"_

" _I can't believe this!" Megan throws up her hands, grabs her shall and walks toward the patio doors, "My own daughter conspiring against me."  
_

A sigh of frustration escapes. Now that he had arrived, she wasn't quite sure where she stood. She knew they were friends, at most, like she had told Lacey but with all the arguments her daughter had made, she couldn't help but think...

Her daughter would make quite the lawyer or detective if she put her mind to it. She walked towards the end of the patio deck. Stationed on the edge of the grass, underneath a nice wide sycamore was a nice Hollywood swing. She walked through the grass, which made a pathway through the flower garden. Tiki torches lit up the garden. = Everything was in bloom and the vast colors gave way to pensive thoughts. Sitting down and taking off her heels, she reclined and began a leisurely swing back and forth. Back and forth, allowing her mind to drift.

Feelings. They were the worst. Sometimes, even though it hurt to think, she wonders if she's as cold-hearted as every one thinks she is. She knows that her priorities lie in different areas compared to everyone else, and as such, frustration makes working with others difficult. Even now, though, she is on the road to overcoming that obstacle. Bud, Sam, Ethan and Curtis were beginning to open her up and she might consider them…more than acquaintances and co-workers…

This, again, brought it back to Peter…

How is it that all things came back to him? Maybe it was his tenacity to personally insert himself in her personal life. Asking questions. Pushing her to think of others before acting or speaking.  _Doesn't she do that already?_ Speaking for the dead was harder than it looks, especially when you have to deal with the stubbornness of the living. Why couldn't anyone understand that? Well, there was one person.

Peter did. He often bridged the gap between her work and the cops she worked with, deciphering and smoothing over edges of her snark, often accompanying her on her little missions to solve the mystery. He brought a different perspective to the job. Talked things through, allowed her to think verbally. Solving crimes with him was easy. It was…fun having him around. Nice.

But now…

Now… would she allow herself to think of him as more?  _Could he?_  It was hard to imagine. Sure, he was handsome in his black suit, the same one he wore on their little impromptu undercover operation, and she even felt some slight attraction; she had nearly kissed him once for the epiphany she had via his "shocking" comment, for Christ's sake! He had certainly stated that she was a friend to him. Drinks after work insinuated as much. However, that didn't constitute starting a relationship. With Todd, it had been a quick start but then it took two years for him to ask for marriage.  _Look how that turned out._

It was hard to think that Todd could be happy after all this time and here she was, single mother. It didn't really matter if she had a  _boyfriend_ or not. She wasn't they type to consider it a success if she did. But the thought of being alone… just wasn't as appealing as it was in college, where studying had taken priority.

Grumpily, she stopped the nice coast she had going. Toeing the grass like a petulant child.

"What ever did the ground do to you?" A familiar voice laced with amusement and curiosity rang out.

Very familiar.

_Well, crap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During this writing of this one, although, no one could tell, I was taking care of a baby Robin that was abandoned. He didn't make it but it gave me a new appreciation for birds. I tried finding worms for it, eventually went to the store, however, it showed me just how hard they have it. I really wanted to save the poor guy. I wanted to save something…he died in my hands. Also, it is ironic in a way because here I am writing a story about someone who accidentally killed someone. He was too weak and his neck kept rolling into an odd angle. It was depressing. At least we gave him five warm hours.
> 
> However, depressing the days have been, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was interesting to write from Megan's view as I sometimes think I'm more like her, yet I find it harder to write from her perspective. So, let me know what you thought. Reviews make the plot bunnies and by association, me, very happy. ^^


	4. The Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear goodness! We are finally getting somewhere. The characters have been running rampant. I have had no clue where they were leading me. They just decided things on their own. It's an odd feeling to say the least.

Curiosity got the better of him as he ambled his way over to Lacey. The girl still had a smile on her lips. Where was Megan? Glancing to the patio doors where Curtis had said, he couldn't see her through the glass doors. She must have gone into the garden. Dodging between dancing couples, tables full of people, he managed to make his way over to his co-worker's, no  _friend's_ , daughter.

Lacey smiled up at him when he arrived and patted the seat next to her. The one that Megan had previously occupied indicated, only, by the purse on the chair. He gently sat himself down, and glanced to the pre-teen. Green eyes watched him. For the second time that night he felt like he was being put under one of the ME's microscopes.

"So how's school?" Ok, well that was lame, even by his standards but he had no idea how to start a conversation with a girl he barely talked with. He knew her, though, only by what Megan had talked to him about and the two meetings he had with her.

"Fine." She chuckled with a sweet smile in place.

"Alright."

"You like my mom…don't you?" Spluttering, Peter turned to face the girl.

"Wha-What makes you say that?" She rolled her eyes. Much like how her mother does when he asks a question he well knows he shouldn't. So much alike. Direct much like her too. "Listen, your mother and I work to together. And, let's face it, she's not the easiest person to work with. She's a colleague and I'd to think that I'm her friend. So, yeah, maybe you could say that I like her, but it's because we work so closely together. Why?" Evasion was an easy tactic. Give a little bit of information but then dig the other for their motive. Sometimes being a cop helps in everyday situations.

Lacey, instead of answering looked towards the dance floor where Todd and Kate were still dancing. Taking a breath, she began, "I used to think that my mother and father would always be the unhappy couple they were. Sometimes as I listened and cried in my room, I would actually think that they _should_  get a divorce, just so the fighting would stop. But even when it happened, I couldn't help but blame my mother. After the accident…" she fell into silence as Todd laughed at something Kate had said.

"After the accident…I never got to hear them laugh, even before then either. I never got to hear them makes jokes, like they used to. I thought the best part of my mother had died and even then, with all the work…before the accident… there was so much fighting. I was only in middle school. I was angry with my mom. She was the one gone all the time. It was easy to be." Lacey glanced over him and sighed. "Look, I know you may not see it, but my mom has changed. She gave me a key to her apartment for my birthday. When really all I was expecting was another expensive gift. I don't know if it's from the divorce, the new purpose of her job-which she seems to enjoy- or the friends she has made there. All I know is that I want to say thanks." With that she stood, "Did you know she was the one who told me to give Kate the benefit of the doubt?" and left to head towards the bar, presumably to get herself a drink.

Like mother, like daughter. Peter watched, astounded, as the girl walked towards the bar. She would make an excellent detective. He continued to stare out onto the dance floor. Like mother like daughter, indeed. Both were so crass and to the point when it pertained to others but when it came to their own feelings it took a bit of prying and questioning to get them to open up. It surprised him how perceptive she was. He knew Megan was the same way but he hadn't spent much time with Lacey.

She would grow up to be an amazing woman. Beautiful inside and out.

Just like her mother.

There was no doubt in his mind that when he first met Megan, all he saw was a fiery woman with her own agenda. Physical beauty was easy to spot, but the no holds barred in her relentless pursuit of the truth, was something that came with experience. No medical examiner had ever dressed as fashionably as she did. Late nights, and if there was something only she thought she could find, she had no problems heading into danger to find it. He had never seen an ME go that far to find the truth.

Then came the first time he saw when her parasthegia acted up. He had handed her a scalpel, readying to begin another autopsy. He was focusing on the body, so when he heard the hiss of pain and the scalpel clatter to the floor it came as a shock. Looking up into her pain ridden-face, hands curled in pain, he was surprised to see this woman act so… human. He knew, of course that she was, but to see physical evidence was another thing entirely. He had read in her file that an accident had caused some nerve damage, but being a believer of giving people the benefit of the doubt; he had wanted to see it for himself. Her head bent down in shame, she slowly reached for another scalpel and he grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, silently asking for the information.

That was how he found out Megan had feelings. Frustration, anger, sadness it was all there. There are times when her voice would crack from speaking of her daughter she never gets to see. He can see how desperate it makes her to spend the little time she does have. It wasn't selfish of her to want to see her daughter. There were just other ways, he thought, of getting that recognition. There is the pain of a little girl who's father committed suicide. Approval of a mother. He _knew_  there was so much more to this complex woman.

Maybe that was why he pushed her. She thought of others to the extent that the stress caused her numbness. There was a desire to improve her attitude for her daughter. There was a drive for forgiveness for killing one person, when others who had killed more on the job, didn't it take it so personally. She was striving to be…human. And it was an endearing quality. So, he would be there to help. In anyway he could. According to Lacey, he was already making an impact. A key, huh? Now that was something he never would have thought of. The message was clear on that one. Safe home…welcome…

On another note, he had a suspicion she would never tell her daughter to intentionally be mean to anyone, but that she herself was making the effort to give Kate another chance, was impressive. It gave him hope.

Chuckling, he got up. Turning towards the glass patio doors he was able to make out Megan sitting on the Hollywood swing a couple yards away. Carefully opening the doors, he stepped out into the patio. The tiki torches gave a starlit glow about her in her red dress and hair flowing gently over her exposed shoulders, as she gently swayed on back and forth.

_Beautiful._

Abruptly, she stopped, so did he, thinking that she saw him as he had slowly made his way over to her. Heart pounded The scowl on her face indicated otherwise. So did her toeing the grass.

Chuckling, he made his presence known.


	5. The Confrontation

"What ever did the ground do to you?" Megan literally jumped and stood. She couldn't help but gasp at how Peter interrupted her thoughts. Granted, it was appreciated, even if he was the center for the gloomy train. Which was why she turned her glare on him.

"Don't scare me like that!"

He puts his hands up between them, chuckling, "Whoa, sorry." She sits back down on the swing, moving away from the middle towards the right side. Turns back to the garden.

He watches her watch the garden, hands in his pockets as he leans against the pole, the light from the torches giving an ethereal glow about her. Her fiery red hair, gently curled around her bare shoulders where the wrap had fallen around her elbows. The red dress, fitting well around her body, shown with the light. The only sound of crickets and the flickering of fire between them. After a few minutes of silence she turns back to him, "Well, are you going to sit down, or not?"

"I didn't know if the invitation was open."

"I thought it was," said expectantly. For the first time that night, she actually pays attention to how he's dressed for the evening. Black suit, white shirt, and black tie. Same outfit she had seen him where to the gala she coerced him into going. His stubble ever present, if anything slightly trimmed. He even had his hair slicked back again. Her fingers twitch with the urge to run through the locks, ruffle them to their normal look.  _That was new._ Shocked, she glances back to the garden and catches sight of a few lightning bugs rising into the air. Almost chokes at how horribly cliché this all seems.

As he gently sets himself down on the cushion, she hopes that he won't hear her breath quickening. It was all too emotional today. Unconsciously, she clenches and unclenches her hands. A habit she has come to adopt.

"Is something wrong?" Startled, green eyes turn to blue. Concern evident in his expression, something that has become a daily occurrence and her heart races.

"No-" Hearing her hiss of pain, he gently pulls her hands into his lap. Sees the pinch of pain in her face. Clasps her hands in his larger ones and slowly, he rubs his thumbs over her palms and coaxes blood back into her hands. Megan watches stunned as he focuses on his task. Hoping he doesn't hear her breath catch for an entirely different reason.

"Megan…" Patience was something he's coming to learn when dealing with Megan's stubbornness.

"…Ok, maybe… I don't know…" She's frustrated that he can always do this to her, pull the answers she'd rather keep hidden out from everyone. "Lacey asked me something tonight and I don't really know the answer to it. I mean, I think I do, but seeing how everyone is tonight, it makes me wonder if I really am. I thought I was with, how my job is going and how I actually have a relationship with my daughter. Bud and Sam are actually realizing that I'm good at my job, and Ethan and Curtis... we all work together and we do good… and I thought that was enough for me…" She turns back to watch the fireflies dance.

He sat there, holding her hands, gently swiping his thumbs every now and then over her knuckles. Confusion scrunched up his handsome features, brow furrowed he asked, "Lacey. What did she ask you?"

Softly, so gently her voice cracked and as the wind picked up, she said to the garden, "She asked if I was happy."

"….You're right. You have no reason to be unhappy. Yet, you are." Strangely, he hoped it was because of him. She hadn't mentioned him in her rant.

"It's ridiculous, right? I mean, I shouldn't want anything else… there isn't much to want. Yet, there's this nagging, crappy feeling in me that says I'm missing something." Desperation for answers swept off her like waves. If there was one thing that Megan hated, it was not knowing the answers to questions. Usually, they pertained to her personal life. Exasperated, she took her hands back from him and threw them up in a gesture of helplessness. Not knowing what to do, he placed his left arm behind her on the swing, and his right laid limp.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's something that Todd and Kate have. Which is why, I think, you tried to escape by coming out here. I know you can't leave since you're taking Lacey home." She had rambled all week about how, after the announcement, it was going to be a mother/daughter weekend. She was so ecstatic and it had made working with her, easier. Even Ethan and Curtis had smiled at her enthusiasm. His lips twitched as a smirk threatened to escape.

Her glare had returned. "Sometimes, I really wish you would stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

" Looking through me…being right. Take your pick. It's nerve wracking." A chuckle did escape him then.

"I hardly think I look through you, Megan…" His smile softened then as he looked at her.

"Whatever, point is, you're right." She shrugged, turning to face the garden again. He sighed. Knew she wasn't going to make this easy.

"About?"

"Todd. Kate. Everything. It's hard… It's hard to admit that maybe this was how it was supposed to end. He was always better at moving on than I was…" She frowned against the unbelievable helplessness she felt. The last time she felt like this, she was sitting in the empty hospital room, looking around after she had awoken from the crash. Tears welled in her eyes at the lack of sensation in her hands, as she looked at them, clenching. No one had come to drop by. Todd was working and Lacey hadn't had a ride. The only indication that she had any visitors at all was the lonely vase of flowers sitting by the window.

And now, here she sat, once again alone, as Todd went on with his life…

Her frown became more pronounced. And if he hadn't been watching her eyes, he would have missed them moistening. Tears threatening to fall. "Hey, you're not alone, okay? Yeah, Todd and Kate have a chance, but that doesn't mean you don't." Taking his right hand from where it was resting, he brought it up to gently swipe her cheek, leaning into her. "There are other men out there."

She froze under the gentle touch. He had come close to her before. Close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him but usually the circumstances of being at a crime scene, in the lab, bickering, would keep the thoughts of anything other than professionalism away. On the occasional moment, he would say or do something that would hit her in just the right way, and her nerves would do a little flip. She had become used to these moments, and it was easy to diminish the sensation with work or her dramas. His smooth, timbered voice settling in her ear, the words he spoke, the gentle glow from the tiki torches was creating an overpowering environment. One she hadn't been in for quite some time.

He felt her freeze under his finger. He hadn't meant to scare her, only comfort. It hurt him to think that a woman who had gone through so much, who smart and cunning could think that she wasn't able to be happy, while everyone else seemed to be. She might be content, sure, but he knew the difference. And while she was too independent to admit it, he knew it hurt to think that no one could want you anymore and be forced to live alone.

She shuddered…

…and stood.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooo sorry, but I had to do a cliffie there. I know it's been a while since my last update and I apologize. Life keeps getting in the way. And in order for the next chapter to come around, it had to end here. This chapter also gave me some issues. I couldn't get them to cooperate with me. The muse has left the building as it were. So, I finally had to force myself and trudge through this. I don't know what to make of the "fluff," though. I'm not good at relationship writing, so forgive me.
> 
> ^^' Thank you for sticking with me so far.

**Author's Note:**

> After the first season finale, I thought these two would be great together. So, I started writing this. Then the damned season 2 finale came and they killed off Peter.  
> Might be out of character as it's my first time writing these two. But here's my attempt before they ruined what could have been a good thing. Also, I have not finished this.. but am working on it.


End file.
